Hilary Shepard

Hilary Shepard (born Hilary Shapiro on December 10, 1959), alternately billed as Hilary Shepard-Turner, is an American actress and singer. She began her career in the mid 1980s, as co-lead singer and percussionist in the girl group American Girls, while also starting to appear in small roles in film and on television. Her film and television career expanded with larger roles in numerous series and films. She may be best known for her recurring role as the evil pirate queen Divatox in Power Rangers Turbo and Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, as well as the genetically enhanced Lauren in two episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Shepard was born in New York City, New York. In the mid-1980s, Shepard was a co-lead singer and percussionist in the short-lived all-female group American Girls. American Girls originally started as a film project, which fizzled. After some personnel changes and more rehearsing, the band sustained many comparisons to the Go-Go's, who were popular at the time as well assigned to the same label, IRS Records. However, American Girls featured veterans of the all-women band scene including Brie Howard who had played drums for Fanny and Miiko Watanabe who played bass with the Screamin' Sirens. They recorded one album only, which was intended as a demo but was pressed to vinyl in its original form. The eponymous debut album was released in March 1986. The cover shows the band in a hotel room, with alcohol, a deck of cards, and a copy of The National Enquirer. The video for their single "American Girl" received some airplay on MTV. Their song "Androgynous" appeared in the 1986 film Tough Guys and the song "American Girl" appeared on the soundtrack for Out of Bounds. They also opened for The Lords of the New Church on 1986 tour dates.When that group ended, she moved into acting, appearing in numerous motion picture and television series.